


Chiaroscuro

by TheIndifferentDroid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Levi's foul mouth, M/M, Pining, Valentine's Day, art history major Erwin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 10:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17806163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIndifferentDroid/pseuds/TheIndifferentDroid
Summary: chiaroscuro: noun - the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in drawing and paintingLevi is fully prepared to spend his Valentine’s Day with a stack of notes, hundreds of slides, and his classmate, Erwin, that he may have a thing for. Erwin, however, appears to be prepared to bail on their study plans at any moment in favor of more festive activities. Levi can’t stand it.





	Chiaroscuro

**Author's Note:**

> Here, have some Valentine's Day modern eruri fluff as a coping mechanism.
> 
> Thanks to shinysylver for the wonderful beta work, as always. My words make a lot more sense because of her.

Levi doesn’t look up from his computer when someone knocks on the door, or even when it opens. He knows it’s Erwin by those two short, gentle knocks— _ rap, rap _ —before the door opens slowly. So gentle they’d never betray the large man on the other side. 

 

Levi doesn’t look up and glances at his watch instead. Four thirty-five. “You’re late.”

 

“Sorry,” Erwin mumbles.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Levi can see Erwin hovering near the door, not moving. He sighs and finally looks up. 

 

“Fuck are those?” Levi asks. 

 

“Uh, flowers?”

 

Levi levels Erwin with a glare for that snarky remark. Erwin is absolutely holding a small bouquet of flowers. “No shit.”

 

Erwin looks good today. Better than he usually does in class, at least. He looks like he tried. Under his brown leather jacket, he’s wearing a sweater—some light blue pastel shit that Levi refuses to acknowledge compliments Erwin’s eyes—and a white, collared shirt underneath. His jeans are the dark, fitted ones Levi instantly recognizes as the ones that make Erwin’s ass look great, even if he can’t see it from where he’s sitting. And Levi’s never seen those shoes before but he can tell they’re boots and that does more to him than he would have expected. 

 

Levi sighs and turns his attention back at his notes. Erwin probably has a date. 

 

Erwin finally moves from the door, squeezing through the small room to the other side of the table, and fuck, he smells goddamn exquisite, too. Clean and warm and woodsy.

 

He’s definitely got a date. 

 

“I thought you said you didn’t have anywhere else to be tonight,” Levi says. 

 

Erwin struggles with his bag and his coffee and the goddamn flowers, curses a little under his breath which makes Levi’s lip upturn just the slightest. The flowers get set to the side, but somehow closer to Levi than Erwin. Levi can smell those now too, and… he doesn’t hate it. 

 

“I don’t,” Erwin responds after a minute. 

 

“Tch. Whatever,” Levi mumbles.  _ As if someone like you doesn’t have Valentine’s plans, _ he doesn’t say.  “You don’t have to tell me where you’re going, but you said we’d study. Sit down so we can get through this before you go on your… date or whatever,” Levi continues, patting the stack of notes on the table without looking at Erwin. 

 

“I don’t—”

 

“I said whatever, Erwin. It’s fine.” 

 

Erwin sighs and takes off his jacket, the rustling of the leather suddenly the loudest thing in the room. 

 

Levi bites his tongue until it hurts, until he stops thinking about Erwin like he wants to think about Erwin. He should have known better. 

 

“Let’s get started.”

  
  
  


“This is such bullshit,” Levi drawls, running his hands through his hair and tugging. He’s been staring at the same slide on his computer for ten minutes, trying to find a way to memorize the year, medium, and goddamn reigning pharaoh for this stupid piece of art. From his uncomfortable position curled up in the chair, Levi can see Erwin sit up enough to barely glance at Levi over the top of his computer.

 

Erwin has been suspiciously attentive, Levi thinks. They’ve been flipping through notes for what has to have been an hour, asking questions, getting frustrated, asking more questions. And every time Levi peeks up from his notes, Erwin is looking at him. Every time Levi has a question, Erwin jumps into action almost immediately, even if he doesn’t know the answer. Levi knows Erwin is just doing his best to expedite the study session. He’s not stupid. 

 

“You’re the one that voluntarily took this class,” Erwin says, and his deep voice has a bit of an amused lilt. 

 

Levi sinks further into his seat to hide his face from Erwin. Erwin is right; Levi absolutely did not have to take the 3000-level art history class that had nothing to do with his major. There were lots of other electives to choose from. Easier electives. Electives that Erwin wasn’t taking. 

 

“I thought having a friend who’s a shittin’ art history major would help me. My mistake.”

 

Erwin laughs. 

 

“Fuck you,” Levi snaps, voice a little warmer and a little less sharp than he means it to be. 

 

Levi waits for the heat to leave his face before he sits back up and asks another question.  And when Erwin hurries to grab his textbook out his bag—nearly jumping out of his seat to do it—Levi decides it’s time to confront him. 

 

“You should schedule dates after our study sessions more often.”

 

The book slips through Erwin’s hands, clunks solidly against the floor, and he disappears beneath the table to grab it. “What are you talking about?”

 

“You’re just awfully efficient tonight.”

 

Erwin pops up, his face just a little red. He only smiles lightly and shakes his head before standing up and making his way around the table. 

 

“Where the hell are you going?” Levi snaps. 

 

Erwin walks up to the chair next to Levi and places his hand on the back. “To sit next to you. So we can both see the book.”

 

Levi ignores him and lets him sit down. Or tries to ignore him, at least. Erwin is very obviously wearing cologne. Levi had only gotten a whiff of it when Erwin had arrived, but he’s sure of it now. Not that Erwin hasn’t worn cologne before. But it’s… different now. Levi’s unsure when or how he had memorized Erwin’s normal scent—Dove soap and deodorant and coffee—but this isn’t it. 

 

He takes a deep breath in, savoring every note of whatever Erwin bathed himself in, and huffs it out dramatically. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Erwin asks. 

 

“Just… stressed.”

 

Levi leans back in his seat, looks at his computer, and tries not to breathe, especially when Erwin creeps a little closer, inch by inch, as the hours pass. 

 

An awful sound rumbles through the silence of the study room. Levi had been too distracted to notice how hungry he was, but he’s suddenly painfully aware of the emptiness in his stomach and the aching in his back. 

 

He checks the time. It’s well past eight. “You need to leave for your date or some shit?”

 

“No. But you need a break.”

 

“No, I’m not done. I need this grade to graduate.”

 

Erwin laughs, and it’s so easy and light Levi almost forgets to get angry. “This isn’t funny.”

 

“You have another year,” Erwin says. His voice is so smooth, confident. Erwin shifts in his chair to face Levi completely, and his knees brush against Levi’s thigh. “I’m the one graduating in May. You’ve done well, Levi. And it’s only the first test of the semester. I think you can afford to take a break.”

 

Levi remains silent. He can feel Erwin staring at him, towering over him, even while he’s sitting. Erwin’s knees are hot against Levi’s thigh, and he does his best to ignore it.

 

“Come to Dina’s with me.”

 

Levi balks. “The diner?” he asks, casting a sidelong glance at Erwin before turning his attention back to his computer.

 

“Yeah. We could walk there in ten minutes.”

 

Levi’s stomach growls again and he curses under his breath when he hears Erwin chuckle quietly. “I’m blaming you if I fail.” 

 

“You won’t fail.” 

 

“Alright,” Levi sighs, turning to face Erwin. He’s so close and his eyes are so blue. “I’ll trust your judgment.”

 

Holding the door open a few minutes later, Levi watches Erwin as he collects his things. Erwin picks up the flowers last and pauses for the briefest moment, but it doesn’t escape Levi’s notice.

 

“You got stood up, didn’t you?” Levi asks.

 

Erwin keeps his gaze on the bouquet for a moment longer, then laughs. “Let’s go.” 

  
  
  


They’re seated in a booth near the back of the diner, though they really could have picked anywhere. Dina’s is mostly empty. Erwin gently places the bouquet in the center of the table near the wall, and Levi gets a whiff of the strong scent even above the overbearing smells of fried food and chicory.

 

Levi orders a club sandwich and a tea. The waitress shows up with an iced tea, and he doesn’t have the heart to say anything. He should know better by now; he’s lived in the South for nearly three years and had figured out the trick to ordering hot tea within a month’s time. But he can’t quite think straight with Erwin sitting across from him. 

 

He’s had meals with Erwin before. He’s studied with him before. None of this is anything new to him. Levi curses the stupid holiday for making today feel different for some reason. He’s being sentimental—he’s being  _ soft _ —and it unsettles him. Maybe it’s the fact that he knows Erwin could be somewhere else right now, but he’s with Levi. He tries not to look too much into it. 

 

They complain about class while they wait on their food, although Erwin has trouble bad mouthing the subject he has so much passion for. He keeps going on tangents every time Levi brings something up, going off topic onto different pieces of art, rambling so much he winds up in a different century. Levi doesn’t have the strength to get him back on track. He likes how Erwin’s bright eyes get even brighter, widening when he gets excited about something. Erwin talks with his hands when he gets excited, too, and they’re hard to ignore. Levi hides his smiles behind sips of his too-sweet tea. 

 

“Christ. What are you? Six?” Levi asks once the waitress has delivered their plates. 

 

There’s a large stack of pancakes in front of Erwin, topped with cream and one huge strawberry. The comment must slide right off of him because the toothy grin on his face doesn’t waver. 

 

“What? I wanted breakfast.”

 

An amused huff involuntarily escapes Levi’s lips while he picks the toothpicks out of his sandwich. It really shouldn’t be that charming. 

 

“Hey,” Erwin asks, and Levi looks up. “You want this?”

 

Levi stares. Erwin’s hand is right there, nearly on his side of the table, strawberry pinched between his fingers. It would be easy— _ so _ easy—to lean across and pluck the fruit from Erwin’s fingers with his mouth. 

 

Levi shakes his head, sneers a little to hide his desire with easily feigned disgust. “No, I’m—”

 

The words die off in his mouth, and it’s all he can do not to outwardly react when his eyes lock onto Erwin’s lips surrounding the strawberry as he takes a bite. It shouldn’t seem so obscene, but it is. Because it’s Erwin. Perfect, golden, Grecian godlike Erwin Smith. Levi feels like he’s seeing something he shouldn’t. He thinks about taking a sip of his drink or a bite of his sandwich to distract himself, but he’d likely just choke. He’s only thankful Erwin hasn’t made eye contact, but his eyes are closed so it’s not much better.

 

If Erwin notices how Levi won’t meet his gaze for the rest of dinner, he doesn’t say anything.

  
  
  


The clock tower chimes off in the distance signaling the quarter hour as they leave the diner. Erwin offers to walk Levi to his car and is met with an indignant huff. 

 

“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Levi says. “I’m going back to the library anyway.”

 

Erwin just nods and follows. 

 

They walk in silence for a while. The night is chilly but not uncomfortable, warm enough for the air to be foggy and thick with humidity. Every so often, they pass a car or a couple walking together, but the only thing Levi can focus on is the bouquet Erwin is holding between them. The paper around it crinkles every time it nudges against Levi’s leg. Erwin doesn’t seem to notice. 

 

The back of the library comes into view. The old, yellow lights are surrounded by a haze of fog, and the walkway and quad beyond it are much emptier than earlier in the night. Levi wonders if Erwin plans on joining him back in the library, though his presence may be more of a distraction than a benefit. 

 

Before Levi can speak up, Erwin stops walking, falling a few steps behind before Levi catches on and turns around slowly. 

 

“I lied,” Erwin blurs, and before Levi can react, he continues, “about not having a date.”

 

Levi stares, seemingly unaffected on the outside, the narrowing of his grey eyes the only betrayal of his reaction. 

 

“Well,” Erwin says, then pauses. “I didn’t lie, but…”

 

“Spit it out, Smith.”

 

Erwin closes the gap between them and lifts the flowers up to his chest, eye level with Levi. The damn things have been following him around all afternoon and all night, and Levi has memorized them at this point. They’re sturdy, mostly greenery, thick leaves of deep green on thin stems. There’s a smattering of tiny white flowers throughout. And one large, beautiful white rose in the middle of it all.

 

“I should have told you sooner, but I couldn’t. I tried.” Erwin sighs and extends his arm just a little, and Levi can’t bring himself to move, so Erwin continues. “They’re for you.”

 

Levi wants it to be true, even more so with the way Erwin is gazing at him now. He sees the brightness, the interest, in Erwin’s eyes, even with the blue diluted by the harsh yellow light outside the library. And then the entire evening runs through Levi’s head, once incredibly fast, then slower, like the film of his memory is skipping and backtracking at every obvious moment of the night. The flowers, Erwin’s clothes, the closeness in the library, the way Erwin has been looking at him all night that makes Levi shiver even now. 

 

Levi feels his heart threatening to exit his body through his throat and combats it the only way he knows how. “Tch. You’re just trying to cover up the fact that you got stood up.”

 

Erwin hardly moves, but his body language changes in seconds. He takes a deep breath in, and Levi can see it move through him, making his shoulders a little straighter, a little broader. Erwin inches closer to him. Levi has never felt so small next to Erwin, and he begins to wonder if Erwin has always been aware of just how massive their height difference is and has somehow managed to lessen it around Levi. The contrast is startling now with Levi craning his neck to look at Erwin—at the yellow light turning his hair more golden, at the sheer brightness of him—staring down at Levi.

 

“Are you standing me up, Levi?” Erwin asks. 

 

Levi’s mouth is suddenly parched. He darts his tongue out to wet his lips, but Erwin’s stare is so intent that he’s not even phased. 

 

“Are you?” Erwin asks again.

 

Seconds pass in silence, but Levi can’t be sure they haven’t been standing there for hours. 

 

When Levi finally speaks, it’s in a ragged whisper. “I can’t stand you up if you don’t use that stupid mouth of yours to ask me on a date first.”

 

Erwin smiles a little at that, but his gaze is still overwhelmingly intense. He lifts his hand to Levi’s face, and goosebumps prickle under Levi’s jacket because Erwin is touching him—on his cheek, his hair, the back of his neck. 

 

After that, Levi can’t wait any longer. “Get down here, you tall idiot,” Levi mumbles, hoisting himself up on his toes and grasping onto the lapels of Erwin’s jacket for leverage. 

 

Their lips meet gentler than Levi could have imagined, with his force and Erwin’s size. A strong arm wraps around Levi’s back, and the paper around the flowers crinkles as it presses against his jacket. Erwin’s hand slides dangerously slow towards the front of Levi’s outstretched neck, and the touch is like a tripwire, parting Levi’s lips immediately. 

 

And Levi tastes. Levi tastes  _ Erwin _ . The sweet stickiness of syrup on his lip. The bitter remnants of coffee on his tongue. The sensations hit Levi in flashes, taste, touch, and then sound when Erwin breaks for a split second to gasp for a breath before he’s back again. Erwin moves his thumb along Levi’s jaw slowly, a gentle gesture turned possessive when Erwin takes Levi’s bottom lip between his teeth and pulls. 

 

The surest thought Levi has ever had crosses his mind: Levi wants to be undone by him.

 

He pulls away then, his lip dragging slowly out of Erwin’s bite, falls back onto his heels and attempts to hide his rare smile in the expanse of Erwin’s chest. 

 

“You taste like breakfast,” Levi mumbles.

 

“Are you complaining?”

 

Out of Erwin’s line of sight, Levi licks his lips. “What if I was?”

 

Erwin begins to move, still wrapped around Levi, and pushes them towards the wall. Paper crinkles behind Levi and he winces. “Hey. Careful with my flowers.” 

 

Erwin releases Levi immediately, but doesn’t move far, just enough to give himself room to hold the bouquet between them. He clears his throat, and Levi can feel his eyes on him as he examines the flowers. 

 

“Pass the test tomorrow and I’ll take you on a real date,” Erwin says. 

 

Levi’s eyes flash up to Erwin’s for a moment before he looks back down at the flowers, taking them. He’s silent for a beat, adjusting the paper around the bouquet, tidying it up. “The fuck kind of deal is that?” 

 

“A good one, if you ask me.”

 

They stand quietly for a moment, inches apart. Levi tries to contain the grin that threatens to cross his lips, but it creeps back every few seconds while he’s distracted by the flowers.

 

“I’m gonna go,” Levi says, nodding towards the library.

 

“Want some help?” Erwin asks casually.

 

Levi huffs a laugh. “Fuck no. You’re ridiculously distracting,” Levi says, making eye contact with Erwin one last time before continuing down the walkway.  “And I want that date.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr as [huxandthehound](https://huxandthehound.tumblr.com/) and twitter @[NonchalantDroid](https://twitter.com/nonchalantdroid). Come say hi.


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